Fountain-pen.



WALTER A. SHEAFFER, or roar MAD'IsoN, IOWA.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct. 20, 1914:.

Application filed November 18,-191'2.' Serial No. 732,087.

To all whom it may concern:

' Beit known that I, WYALTER A.l Siiniiiirnn, a4 citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Madison, in the county of Lee and State of Iowa, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Fountain-Pens; and 'I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will ena-ble others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in fountain` pens inl which an elastic reservoir is employed, and more particularly to the compressing means for the reservoir to create a vacuum therein. One' object of the invention is tovpiovide a reservoir compressing member vand lever having cooperating means for'limiting the opening movement of the lever,

Another object is to provide a compressor operating lever so constructed as to prevent all danger of said lever being accidentally depressed and the consequent expelling of the ink.

Another object is to" so shapef said lever as`to` cause it to vbe self-locking.

Still another object isto' provide meansA for varying the tension of saidlever Vwithoutmarring or -changingits exposed face. With these and other` objects in view the invention consists of certainfnovel features of construction, and the combination .of

parts as will bemore fully described land 85- claimed.`

In the accompanying drawings Figure l represents a central longitudinal section of' apen with the ink reservoir compressed by 'the compressing means; Fig. 2 is a side elevationcof the compressing plate; Fig; 3 is a similar View of the compressor actuating lever'gf-Fig. L.tis aside elevatioiiof said lever showing 'the slotted end arranged to infcreasethe tension of the lever;

In the embodiment illustrated an outer casing 1 an elastic reservoir for tube l.2 and 4 a pe'n lholder section Bof a fountain pen areI 4"preferablyadjacent tothe inner end of the the full `lengthofnthe slot andfforming a shown which maybe of any ordinaryor.

approved construction and therefore require no .particular description.' This casing l is formed withfa longitudinally vextending slot LLfbetvveen the walls of which and at a point slot vis pivoted an operatinglever 5, said lever when in normal position extending `iutei'inediately of its width as show n at 13' closure therefor. A notch G is preferably formed at the outer vend of the slot 4c to facilitate the insertion of the finger nail for opening thfe lever when it is desired to com'- press the ink reservoir.

A compressing member 7. preferably in fthe 4form of a flat rectangular metallic plate is .arranged between the ink reservoir or tube longitudinal movement within the casing. `This plate 7 is provided on its outerv face with a projection l0 which is perpendicular on one side and beveled on its other side as shown clearly'in Fig. 2, the perpendicular portion being varranged on the side against which the lever 5 is designed'toabutto prevent the lever from riding overjs'aid pro'-` jec'tion and should it, however, be forced over the projection the beveled or inclined face of s aid projection will facilitate its return to operative position.

The 'lever 5 is constructed as shown' in Fig." 3 having one end thickerthanthe l 1 other,l the thick end 1l thereof being beveled as shown at 12 'and slotted longitudinallyA .i The upper Aor outer face of this lever 5 1s inclined from a point 14 downwardly to-v -ward its beveled end 'whereby when the lever is applied within the vslot of the pen lbarrel this inclined face will loe-disposed below thev outer surface of .said barrel. thereby preventing thisV thickened end of y.the lever from being accidentally depressed which would cause the inkfto be expelled. Thethickened end of the lever is beveled,

as shown at 12, so 'that its knife edge will be'the only/point of contact with the plate 7 when-the lever isA operated; land when the lever is at rightangles to the pen body, it

will "have depressed plate `Tas far as .it can be depressed and said plate willbe held in this position' (shown iii Fig. l) by reason of the. engagement' of the lever vwith the shtop 1 0V and the elasticityofthe rubber'ink reservoir.` I fthe thick'end of the lever were straight, .the 'forward or `innermost cornerbf such end would travel Ain an arc of greater radius than the center-of suchA 4end and consequently when the lever would reach vthe limit vofits .opening movement (that is at right' angles to the pen `body) Ithe plate 7 .would not bei depressed as' far l. as it was during the movement 4of the lever.

This is' objectionablev because it will not L permit tliefink reservoir or bag to be filled withI ink to its fulll capacity. Furthermore, since. in a straight end lever, its forward 'corner'.depresses the plate 7 lower than the position'of such plate vwhen the lever'has l reached the limit ofits opening 'inovemen f; there'is atendency of thelever to jump over I the stop 10 and swing past lts right angular vpo'sition when the device is quickly or carelessly handled. It -will therefore be seen 'that the .beveling of the lever combined with the vstop 10 arranged on a presser-plate or 'bar vvhich cannot move longitudinally `ineures aneffective selfllingpen even when roughly or carelessly handled.

Y The slot lf3 in'thethiek end of the lever is I ..Ilelsigned to permit the adjustment of `said ,endfby deecting or bending vinwardly` the -.-l ower portion or tongue 13a form@ by them slot to compensate for any irregularities in .tightly closed this tongue '13?? vvould be bent I '-'downvvardly into a position.-such as lthat shown in e which* would eausethe free. endl of the tongue to receive' greater pres.-

il )sure from the metal bar.; which forced out by the vreservoir thereby tending to hold I i thelever closed Without in any way m'arring vor changing the contour of the outer face of tlielever. i If the lever-5 were not held sei40feurely' in closed position it :would wabble and .the .end 15 thereof would"be liable to l a hook-into contacting or adjacent-objects and lvforce the ink out of .the reservoir which .I A*would lbe\1fnost objectionable. The ,lower i 45.

face' of thi s\.lever 5 tapers toward the end 15 and thus prevents thelylower ,face of the.

' 'lever from vengaging thejlprojection 10- on the plate 7 when the lever"`-is in closed posiy tion which would tend to cause the leverto oscillate, the inclination ofthe lower facer `of said lever. causes the point at the' beveled y endI thereof only Vtofengage'the plate 7 and thereby this forms a locking devicel for the vlever as thev pressure ofthereservoir exerts its ten-- sion to force said beveled end upwardly or outwardly and the. tapered end inwardly. resiliently `holding the lever in closed. position. j j

v While I have described my invention vwith more or lessI minuteness as regards details and as `being embodied in eer-l tain precise forms,y I do not desire to `be limited'. thereto unduly anv more than is pointed out in the claims. On the contrary,

I contemplate all proper changes in form,

nient with the lever.

construction and arrangement-,the omission of immaterial elements and substitutionot equivalents as circumstances may suggest or render expedient.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a fountain pen, the combination of a casing having a longitudinally extending more transversely in the casing, means to prevent longitudinal movement of the plate, a stop on the .outer side of the plate, and a plate compressing lever arranged in f the "slot inthe easing and fulcrumedintermediate its ends, both of said ends being freeand the-inner one being thick and beveled, and adapted to engage said stop when the lever is substantially at right angles to the casing.

' 2. In fountain pen, the' combination of a casing, an elastic ink reservoir. therein, a

reservoir compressing plate mounted in the casing to move transversely, means for preventing longitudinal movement of the plate, -a stop projection on the outer side of the plater of 'triangular shape in side elevation,

one face ofsai'd projection being perpendicular to the length of. the plate andv the other vinclined longitudinally toward .one end of the plate and a lever fulcrumed to the casing intermediate its ends and having both ends free, the inner end of the lever being thick and beveled, and adapted to coact with saidstep substantially as and for the-'purposes set forth.

l3. -In'a fountain pen, thefcombination of a casing having va longitudinal slot, a compressible -ink reservoir in said casing, a reservoir compressing member arranged in the casing between one of its Walls and said reservoir and adapted to be 'pressed into contact'with such Wall of the casingr bythe reservoir, a lever arranged in the slot in vthe casing and fulcrumed intermediate its ends,I oneend of said lever having a longislot, an elastic ink reservoir in the casing, a reservoir compressing plate. mounted to tudinally extending open slot to form a ductile elementadapted to be bent out of aline- -mentwith the lever and to be connected by said member when thereservoir, is distended whereby thelever is held in closed posi' tion, and means 4for limiting the closing movement of said lever.

4. A lever for compressing a. fountain pen reservoir having one 'end thick and the A other thin, the thick end having a longitudinally extending open slot` therein to form a ductile element adapted .to be bent out of alinem'ent withthe lever.

5. A lever for compressing a fountain pen reservoir having'a lingitudinally extending open slot inone end thereof to form a duetile element adapted to be bent out of aline- 6. A fountain pen comprising aeasing with an opening therein, an elastic ink reservoir within said casing, a pressure plate located between said reservoir and casmg,`

stop for limiting the opening movement of said lever and means for preventing longitudinal movement of the plate in the casing.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 15 my hand in presence of two subscribing witmesses.

WALTER A. SHEAFFER.

Witnesses:

J. C. SCHLARBAUM, GEORGE B. STEWART. 

